The present invention generally relates a coin dispenser, and more particularly to an outlet adjusting device suitable for a coin dispenser capable of dispensing coins of various sizes.
The coin dispenser is usually placed in an entertainment facility for providing dispensing coins as a convenience to users. Coins, such as fifty, ten, five or one dollars, are of different sizes and thickness, and also the tokens designed by the entertainment facility management are different of sizes and thickness. Accordingly, the coin dispenser needs to have the coin outlet of various specifications corresponding to various sizes of coins in order to dispense coins of various sizes. The conventional coin dispenser, as shown in FIG. 10, has a motor to turn the rotating plate A1 having a plurality of protrusions A2. There is a gap between every two adjacent protrusions A2. The inner and outer sides of the coin outlet A3 have a directing element A4 and a fine adjustment switch A5 installed respectively. The rotating plate A1 is adapted to rotate in a manner that the protrusions A2 push the coins within the coin collector A6 to the inner side of the coin outlet A3, and the coins can also be sent out of the coin outlet A3 by the pushing force of the protrusions A2 and as directed by the directing element A4. The fine adjustment switch A5 is activated as the coins contacts the fine adjustment switch A5 while passing through the coin outlet A3, and this can be adapted for counting the number of coins dispensed.
The above conventional structure of the coin dispenser has a fixed space for the coin outlet A3, which is not suitable for fitting coins of various sizes, and if the space of the coin outlet A3 is smaller than the dimension of the coin, the coin cannot be dispensed from the coin outlet A3. On the contrary, if the space of the coin outlet A3 is larger than the dimension of the coin, then the coin will bounce all around while being dispensed out. Therefore, for dispensing coins with different sizes, the vender has to design coin outlets with various specifications, consequently the cost of the machine will be substantially increased.
Another conventional coin dispenser shown in FIG. 11 comprises a frame, a coin collector, a rotating plate, a service motor, a dispensing plate, an ejecting mechanism, a resilient steel bead and so on. The coin dispenser allows the coin within the coin collector fall into the coin slot effectively to prevent rotating in idleness, as well as to reduce the chances of jamming the coins and accurately count the quantity of the coins dispensed. However, the above conventional coin dispenser also have several defects as described below.
The dispensing plate B1 has a plurality of arch-shape flanges B2, and every arch-shape flange B2 is formed according to the coin B3 with the certain specification, therefore, different size of the coin B3 requires a different dispensing plate B1 with specification corresponding to the particular coin B3. Thus, a coin dispenser requires a plurality of dispensing plate B1, which is obviously impractical in consideration of cost.
The gap B11 between the dispensing plate B1 and the ejecting mechanism B4 is fixed and cannot be adjusted, thus the size of the coin B3 must be of a certain size in order to pass through the gap B11 between the dispensing plate B1 and the ejecting mechanism B4.
The dispensing plate B1 has a resilient plate B5 supporting a side and the ejecting mechanism B4 is controlled by the spring B6. When the coin B3 positions against the arch-shape flange B2 of the dispensing plate B1 and the roller B7 of the ejecting mechanism B4, the top flange at the bottom surface of the rotating plate B8 requires additional force to overcome the rebounding force created by the dispensing plate B1 and the ejecting mechanism B4. Accordingly, the rotating plate B8 is under increased stress due to resistance during rotation.
Accordingly, a solution to resolve the above defects of the convention coin dispensers is an important subject for the manufacturers in the field.